Composite materials are materials with a specifically designed structure made of at least two different materials bonded permanently with each other. These materials combine important properties of the individual components in advantageous ways, which are adapted to suit particular applications. The properties of composite materials are cumulative from those of the individual materials (sum properties), but they can also be superior in some ways to those of the individual materials (structural properties). Through the combination of metallic and ceramic materials in a composite (cermets), the typical advantages of both material classes can be utilized, whereby the property profile of the metal matrix/ceramic composite can be specifically set by varying the shape, size and volume fraction of the composite partner.
In the Molybdenum/Aluminum oxide cermets produced by Heraeus, the electrical conductivity of the metal components is combined with the thermal expansion behavior of the ceramic components (aluminum oxide) in one part. These cermets are used as a part of an electrode system for metal halogenide lamps.
